what I ate and other stories

Snack Trek: LEMONADE

This place charmed me from the start.

Once a week I drive past Lemonade‘s Beverly Blvd location, but I’ve never been inside. When they opened a location at USC, Crystal informed me that it’s an amazing eatery– but when she tried to explain the layout, I was confused.

Last night I ventured to the Beverly Blvd location (apparently the one in Downtown isn’t open on the weekends) with Cole and Bea, to see how it all worked.

The Lemonade website describes it as a “modern twist on a nostalgic concept” that is “part lemonade stand, part grade-school cafeteria.”

Right away, I noticed two things. First: macarons!

Note to self: Save room for dessert.

Second: Spaghetti squash. Suddenly it’s everywhere!

And so we meet again...

Bea and Cole got sandwiches, salads & lemonades (I think they both got blueberry mint), while I got half-sides of the spaghetti squash and the Israeli couscous. I think they made the better call. I didn’t love my sides. (But I ate them.)

Not in love.

Cold “pasta” salads can be hit or miss.

But I was saving room for dessert. I asked the woman at the counter if she liked the “fleur de sel” macaron, and she told me that it’s considered to be the best one there. (I think it’s caramel AND fleur de sel, since fleur de sel just means salt?) In fact, she told me not to blame her if I became addicted to this macaron. Apparently a lot of people come back mock-angry at her. (If they are actually blaming her for their macaron problem, they are dicks.)

The two half-sides (aka one whole portion) set me back $4.39, and I believe the macaron was also $4.39. But it felt more worth it.

Those grains on top are the salt. (Duh.)

This was definitely a special macaron. It was very large (the next picture shows my hand for reference), and very soft in the middle. It reminded me of a cake or a cookie, and the frosting in the middle seemed to be of a cream cheese variety. I’m not exactly sure whether it was caramel flavored or flower flavored or whatever, but there was definitely a lovely note of cinnamon.

When Cole tried a bite, his eyes got really wide. Not expecting that level of deliciousness!

Cross-section (Macaron's Anatomy)

I kept accidentally eating those salt grains from the top. I already had a dehydration headache (I’m very sensitive to imbalances, I guess), so the extra sodium probably wasn’t helping. But if you’re not being silly like I was, you can probably avoid them more effectively.

We all liked the elementary school-style handwriting in the Lemonade logo, and the whimsical feeling of the place. (We sat next to a wall that was make to look like a big field of grass.)

As it turns out, I don’t think I’m addicted to the macaron. But with a new wave of warm weather, I’m desperately craving more of the blueberry mint lemonade. That’s what Cole and Bea both ordered. I wouldn’t expect blueberry mint to be something I’d enjoy, but I tried Cole’s (and then just pretty much drank it as I pleased) and it was SO GOOD (and SO REFRESHING). And very pretty:

WANT!

(The grass looked MUCH greener in person. Crazy camera phone.)

The was ground small, not in big cubes. I don’t know if you can see that in the picture, but I think it made a difference.

In conclusion– this is what I will do, next time I go to Lemonade:

-Definitely order a lemonade (and if I don’t finish it, take it home for the next day!)

-Definitely order a macaron (for sharing)

-Maybe order/split a sandwich (if it’s a meal time)

-Probably not order any sides, or at least sample them first

Ideally I’ll go with someone who I have good ordering sync with, and we’ll split a sandwich/macaron and order our own drinks (two different flavors, so we can share/try new things).

Food food (aka meal food) aside–if you’re hanging out with a friend (from out of town or otherwise), Lemonade seems like a great place to go on a hot day to pick up some lemonade and a spot of dessert. There are locations all over LA (near MOCA, in Venice, etc), so it could be a nice little stop in a day full of summery things.

Kind of ironic to go to a school-themed place during the summer, but whatever– we’re adults now. Chalk it up to the nostalgia factor. And the delicious lemonade.

Have you been to Lemonade? Which drinks/sandwiches/desserts do you recommend?

One thought on “Snack Trek: LEMONADE”

When I looked at your second picture I was reminded of the Applebaum pearl of wisdom “never eat a cookie bigger than your head.” Maybe it’s the camera angle because the one you’re holding looks much smaller. Next time I visit I want to try one or two of those big macs.